The Surface Treatment global business unit of the Coatings division of German chemical firm BASF, operating under the Chemetall brand, has started construction of its surface treatment site in the Dushan Port Economic Development Zone of Pinghu, Zhejiang province, China. The new site is expected to commence operation in the first quarter of 2021.

It will house production, administrative offices, a laboratory and a warehouse.

“Our growth and investment plans go hand in hand with our customers’ expansion plans. The new facility is the largest investment in Chemetall’s history. It will meet the growing needs of our customers in China for reliable, high-quality and sustainable surface treatment products and system solutions,” said Christophe Cazabeau, Senior Vice President, Surface Treatment, BASF.

“With the completion of the new site, the ultramodern chemical plant will enable us to produce a comprehensive surface treatment portfolio such as Oxsilan, our eco-friendly and multi-metal pretreatment process,” said Markus Wittig, Director, Global Supply Chain and Operations, Surface Treatment, BASF.

“Chemetall has been present in China since 1995. Today, we are serving customers from various market segments including but not limited to automotive OEM and components, coil, general industry, cold forming, aerospace, aluminum finishing and glass. The surface treatment site in Pinghu will provide a strong manufacturing base for our business to further strengthen our supply position in China,” added Hui Jin, Managing Director, Shanghai Chemetall Chemicals Co., Ltd.

In other news, following a construction phase lasting 20 months, Wacker Chemie has brought a new spray dryer for the production of dispersible polymer powders on stream in Ulsan, South Korea. The plant is part of an ongoing site expansion aimed at boosting the company’s production capacity for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in Asia. The new plant will have a total capacity of 80,000 tonnes/year.

The German company is a world-leading producer of polymeric dispersions and dispersible polymer powders, which are important ingredients in the manufacture of building materials. Construction is currently booming in Asia. Growing just as strongly is the demand for high-quality, energy-efficient, sustainable construction solutions. This has prompted the group to invest in the region and expand its production capacity for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in South Korea. The commissioning of the new spray dryer represents a major milestone in the company’s expansion plans for its Ulsan site.

Wacker already produces vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions in Ulsan. Overall capital expenditure on the plant complex, spanning the full production chain from VAE dispersions through to dispersible polymer powders, will come to some EUR65 million.

The new spray dryer converts liquid dispersions into dispersible polymer powder by feeding them through an atomizer into a stream of hot gas, which dries them extremely quickly to yield a fine powder. On completion, the spray dryer will be one of the two largest of this kind in the world.

The second plant with this capacity is located at Wacker’s Burghausen site in Germany.

Construction is also underway in Ulsan on a further reactor for VAE dispersions, the feedstock for dispersible polymer powders. The reactor is scheduled for start-up in the first quarter of 2020.

“Our binders not only enhance the properties of building materials but also make construction activities more resource-efficient,” says Peter Summo, head of the Wacker Polymers division. “The new plant in Ulsan will help us serve the growing market in Asia and additionally shorten our delivery routes and times.”